Delhi Govt working to shift Tihar Jail, expand courts: CM Rekha Gupta

New Delhi [India], December 13 (ANI): Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday announced plans to relocate Tihar Jail, South Asia's largest prison complex, to the city's outskirts to alleviate severe overcrowding and improve prison conditions.
Emphasising that justice delivery is central to governance, Gupta also said that her givernment is actively working to expand judicial infrastructure, strengthen fast-track courts to improve access to justice.
"Ease of living cannot be achieved unless ease of justice is fulfilled. That is why we are focusing on creating more courtrooms and court complexes, strengthening fast-track courts, and working towards shifting Tihar Jail out of Delhi," Gupta said while addressing the 25th anniversary celebrations of the Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF).
The current Tihar Jail, established in 1958, is designed to hold approximately 10,026 prisoners but currently houses over 19,500 inmates, resulting in severe overcrowding and security challenges.
The Chief Minister also highlighted legal reforms undertaken at the national level, noting that after the Modi government came to power, hundreds of obsolete laws were repealed and nearly 1,500 statutes were removed to simplify the legal framework and reduce procedural hurdles.
The event, which also witnessed the launch of the SILF Mediation Centre, was attended by Attorney General of India R. Venkataramani, senior members of the judiciary and leading representatives of the legal fraternity. The new mediation centre aims to promote alternative dispute resolution and reduce the growing burden on courts.
Congratulating SILF on completing 25 years, Gupta recalled the contribution of late Arun Jaitley, under whose guidance the organisation was established, and said SILF has evolved into a strong institutional platform for the legal profession across sectors.
SILF President Dr. Lalit Bhasin said the organisation has completed a new building on Deendayal Upadhyaya Marg with dedicated facilities for online arbitration and mediation. "Two floors have been earmarked for online arbitration to reduce costs, while a separate space has been created for mediation and settlement of disputes as a pro bono initiative," he said, adding that the centre will offer free, non-litigation advisory services to help citizens explore settlements over prolonged litigation.
Senior Vice President of SILF Manoj Singh underlined that accessibility is the cornerstone of justice delivery. "If justice is accessible only through face-to-face systems, we must ask whether it is truly a right or merely a privilege," he said, stressing the need to use technology, artificial intelligence and clear legislation to make legal remedies affordable and timely.
Concluding the session, SILF Vice President Pallavi Shroff, Managing Partner at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas, traced the origins of SILF to the year 2000, when law firms lacked a collective institutional voice. She said SILF was created to address that gap and has since worked to strengthen Indian law firms by improving technology adoption, skills development, and infrastructure.
"Our endeavour has always been to enable Indian law firms to compete globally while contributing meaningfully to access to justice and institutional development in India," Shroff said.
During the event, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta also felicitated Zia Mody, Jyoti Sagar, Shardul Shroff, V. Lakshmikumaran, Justice Tejas Karia of the Delhi High Court, Dr. Manoj Kumar, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Law and Justice, and Rajiv Luthra, Founder of Luthra & Luthra, for excellence in their respective fields. (ANI)